Top 5 May 2018 Game Show Moments

It’s the start of a new month and that means its time to take a brief look back at some of the top moments of the last 31 days. During the month of May, we seen great game show moments including the latest BattleBots revival returning for a third season thanks to Discovery Channel renewing the series, winners crowned on several competitive reality shows like The Voice, Survivor and American Idol, and Beat Shazam and Love Connection coming back for the summer. Although it was tough figuring out who would make the top five this month, here’s the monthly countdown list of the five best game show moments of May.

The countdown commences with the answer-question game show holding its annual Teachers Tournament. Fifteen educators from across the country gathered to compete in the two-week event to win grants for their respective schools and the coveted $100,000 grand prize. When the dust cleared at the end of the evenly-matched competition, Larry Martin was the eventual victor of the contest. The second grade teacher from Kansas City, Missouri. Martin punched his ticket to advance to the semifinals by defeating both of his competitors at the top of the tournament on Monday’s (May 7) show. Martin’s $100,000 win is best attributed to his smart Final Jeopardy! wagers in the quarterfinals and first finals game. On both occasions, all three contestant responded incorrectly, but Martin was shrewd enough to wager sensibly to keep him in the running. Take a look at his tournament highlights in the clip below.

#4: Oliver, Deb and Honey Win £75,000 Against The SinnermanThe Chase May 17

There must be something about that figure that yields good luck to any team who accumulates that specific sum of money. On September 6, 2016; March 8, 2017 and December 8, 2017; each teams respectively defeated Jenny Ryan, Shawn Wallace and Mark Labbett for the same amount. This time around, the triumphant trio of Oliver, Deb and Honey outran Paul Sinha in the Final Chase. (This must feel like dèjá vu to The Sinnerman.) Take a look at the team’s amazing win in the clip below.

#3: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Returns To ITV May 5-11

The week Millionaire returned to British television was the most I’ve ever watched the show in quite some time. This is given the fact that I’m still able to check out the syndicated version in my area on a regular basis. ITV revived the hit primetime quiz show for a special short six-episode series to commemorate the show’s 20th anniversary. After plaguing the program with gimmicks like celebrity contestants, an abbreviated money ladder and a question shot clock to speed up general gameplay in a frantic attempt to garner ratings for a show that was on the brink of cancellation for years, the producers essentially started from scratch and revived the show in its original format, including the Fastest Finger qualifier. Aside from the awesome set renovation, the major changes made to the 2018 series of Millionaire include a new lifeline (“Ask The Host”), a movable safety ladder and Jeremy Clarkson as the new host. Regarding the players’ performances, the week started slow (as Clarkson would continuously point out throughout the week) with mostly low and mid-range wins. Fortunately, the last couple episodes featured more impressive wins, including Gareth Kendall winning a massive £125,000. Check out his big money moment along with other entertaining highlights in clips below from the revival series that did not disappoint.

#2: Geeks On Fleek Win $127,000 Grant As Show’s First Season ChampionsGenius Junior May 13

The adolescent team of Ugochi (10; Powder Springs, Georgia), Jackson (11; Reidsville, North Carolina) and Michi (10; San Diego, California) proved to be better team in the final leg of the intellectually intense competition by defeating runners-up The Dork Side and The Fast and The Curious in the first season finale of Genius Junior. Geeks On Fleek secured their victory in the tournament by answering two more answers correctly than their opponents The Fast and The Curious in The Cortex end game.

The show in general was an absolute joy to watch, seeing talented groups of kids excellently exhibit their exceptional mental abilities and their love and enthusiasm of knowledge and learning. This is one of the many reasons why I love watching game shows because it gives average civilians a chance to win thousands in cash and prizes for simply showing the nation what they know, how intuitive they are and/or how well they can physically perform. Check out the champions take on The Cortex for the final time.

If Jeopardy! had a Player-of-the-Month award, Hill would undoubtedly take top honors for the month of May. Hill, a network engineer from North Little Rock, Arkansas, won a total of $164,721 in an eight-game span. Throughout his championship, he achieved two runaway games, answered 176 questions correctly and provided only 25 incorrect answers. His biggest win occurred during his third game when he added more than $32,000 to his overall total that day. Hill bowed out in his eighth game last Friday, partly thanks to his two opponents making it virtually impossible to make an incredible comeback in Final Jeopardy!. Although Hill is not the biggest regular season champion for the show’s 34th season, he is the highest-winning post-tournament champion this season so far. Take a look at a few of his highlights in his first five games in the clip below.